The unemployment rate in the island economy held steady at 8% in 2013 while employment increased by 14,000 from 511,700 to 525,700, according to data released recently by Statistics Mauritius.
The rise in employed people was driven by a substantial increase of 11,000 in female employment while only a 3,000 increase was seen in male employment, as per the results of the Continuous Multi-Purpose Household Survey (CMPHS) 2013.
Accordingly, male unemployment rate increased from 5.2% to 5.3% while female unemployment rate decreased from 12.7% to 12.2%.
Also, the trend evolution from 2004 to 2013 has shown that men are more economically active than women but the gap is decreasing.
However, while female employment is increasing faster than male employment, the number of inactive people in 2013 continued to be higher among women than men at all ages.
And, men continued to comprise as much as two-thirds of the workforce in Mauritius, with the composition of those working in the island economy reflecting 350,400 males and 220,800 females in 2013 compared to 331,800 males and 193,900 females in 2012.
Furthermore, activity rate across genders increased from 58.8% to 59.9% in 2013. Male activity rate increased marginally from 75.0% to 75.1% and female activity rate showed a higher increase from 43.4% to 45.4%.
On marital status, the workforce is mainly made up of married persons at 66.5%, 25.5% comprised singles, while a small proportion of the employed were widowed, divorced and separated (8.0%).
A sector-wise break up showed that the tertiary sector was the main source of jobs in Mauritius, as the island economy becomes an increasingly services-led economy, propelled by financial services and tourism services.
Coming to the unempoyment rate, after reaching a peak in 2005, it decreased till 2008. It then took an upward trend up to 2012 and maintained the same level in 2013.
On the education front, around 58% of the unemployed, representing 26,200 persons, did not hold a Cambridge School Certificate (SC): 18% had not attained the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) level, 8% held the CPE certificate only, and a further 32% attended secondary school but did not pass the SC.
The proportion with SC as highest attainment was 16% and that with Higher School Certificate (HSC) 6%.
Unemployed having studied up to the tertiary level numbered some 9,200 and represented 20% of the total unemployed.
Image (Investors Business Guide): The work force increased by 14,000 from 511,700 to 525,700 in 2013, according to data released recently by Statistics Mauritius.
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